NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 30 April 2005

SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as presented here, contains additional, original material produced by SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2005) to enhance access to related status reports and NASA activities.

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Saturday – day of rest for the crew.

CDR Krikalev and FE/SO Phillips performed the regular weekly 3-hr task of thorough station cleaning, wearing protective garment. [“Uborka”, done every Saturday, includes removal of food waste products, cleaning of compartments with vacuum cleaner, wet cleaning of the Service Module (SM) dining table and other surfaces with “Fungistat” disinfectant and cleaning fan screens to avoid temperature rises.]

Phillips disassembled the EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students, EK) equipment that he deactivated yesterday, and stowed the gear. [118 schools from 39 states and six other countries shared in this EK session, with more than 8,000 students directly participating in over 92.5 hours of operation, during which 1297 images of student-selected Earth features were downlinked and made digitally available.]

The CDR completed the regular transfer of “Matryoshka” payload data from the BSPN payload server via the ISS Wiener laptop to a PCMCIA flash card for subsequent downlink on OCA comm. [Matryoshka automatically takes radiation measurements in the SM and DC-1 docking compartment for studies of on-orbit radiation and long-term dose accumulation, using six SPD dosimeters deployed throughout the Russian segment as well as in a spherical body-simulating Matryoshka-R phantom and a human torso model outside on the SM hull, mounted there during EVA-9 on 2/27/04.]

Working off the Russian “job jar” task list, Krikalev also performed his first session with the biomedical MBI-9 “Pulse” experiment, preceded by setting up the equipment. [Execution of the medical cardiological assessment is controlled from the Russian payload laptop, using a set respiration rate (without forced or deep breaths) and synchronizing respiration with computer-commanded “inhale” commands. First, arterial blood pressure is measured with the “Tensoplus” sphygmomanometer, followed by the “Pulse” test to record the ECG (electrocardiogram) and a report to TsUP in the next comm pass.]

Both crewmembers conducted their regular daily 2.5-hr. physical exercise program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive exerciser and VELO ergometer cycle with bungee cord force loader (NS-1). For the TVIS exercise, they are using the SLDs (subject loading devices) for holding the subject down, plus newly delivered training loading suits (TNK-U-1), to create a load (typically 4 kg). [As was the case for Sharipov, Sergei’s daily protocol prescribes a four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill and one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 2 of a new set). Use of the NS-1 is constrained by load limits on the ISS structure.]

John Phillips then transferred the daily TVIS and RED exercise data files to the new MEC (medical equipment computer) software for downlink, as well as the daily wristband HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) data, followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium.

At ~9:35am EDT, Krikalev had his weekly PFC (private family conference), via S-band/audio and Ku-band/NetMeeting video.

At ~9:55am, Sergei and John engaged in the regular weekly planning conference (WPC) with the ground, discussing next week’s “Look-Ahead Plan” (prepared jointly by MCC-H and TsUP/Moscow timeline planners), via S-band/audio, reviewing upcoming activities and any concerns about future on-orbit events.

At ~11:05am, the crew held their weekly teleconference with ISS Program Management at JSC/Houston via S-band/audio.

Yesterday’s water transfer from Progress 17 to the SM “Rodnik” BV2 tank was successfully completed, adding 210 liters of potable water to the station supplies.

Update on OpsLAN Upgrade: John Phillips’ efforts yesterday on loading the OpsLAN computers with the latest software version, delivered on 10S, were successful for the onboard File Server and SSC (Station Support Computer) client laptops. However, the FE was unable to remove the SSC-7 laptop’s “Ultrabay” with the hard disk drive (currently loaded with CPSD [crew personal support disk] software). Also, the OCA (Orbital Communications Adapter) Router could not be loaded, most likely due to a defective CD-ROM. The OCA laptop continues to functioning properly with the previous load, and the SSC-7, while at this time not considered a usable SSC, is OK to serve as the crew CPSD laptop.

Update on SKV Air Conditioner: The Russian SKV-2 air conditioner is operating nominally, and the US CCAA (common cabin air assembly) in the Lab was turned off. [During yesterday’s troubleshooting of the condensate water processor system (SRKV), Krikalev discovered a blockage within a fluid line connector. The connector was replaced and other fluid lines were inspected. After SKV-2 reactivation, nominal condensate flow was ascertained and later also verified for its routing to the SRVK. Temperature in the RS is holding at a nominal 45 degF dewpoint.]

Update on Elektron: TsUP/Moscow is tentatively planning to have the crew replace the Elektron’s BZh-5 (Liquid Unit #5) with BZh-6 next week on 5/4 and 5/5.

Yesterday, MCC-H successfully conducted another BCC (Backup Control Center) exercise, with no involvement of the ISS crew or vehicle. [Ground teams from JSC, MSFC, GSFC and TsUP/Moscow participated in the annual exercise to validate emergency procedures and exercise real-time network link management. During the dry-run, some ground controllers were deployed to the GSFC NIC (Network Integration Center) to provide coordination across network elements and maintain S-band, K-band, and VHF ground and Space Network communications. This BCC exercise was run in conjunction with the ISS Hurricane Simulation to exercise the step in ISS ground standard operating procedures where JSC configures for the ISS Mission BCC Voice Configuration. An actual contingency requiring switchover to the BCC at Moscow occurred on 10/2/2002 when Hurricane Lili forced MCC-H to shut down at 4:00am EDT.]

Today’s CEO (crew earth observations) photo targets, in the current LVLH attitude no longer limited by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, were Saharan dust (Dynamic event. Winds blowing off the Sahara in a broad swath may be associated with a light dust load. Looking left and right for ~4 minutes [views left were preferred as they included the African coastline]), High Central Andean Glaciers (interest in imagery of tropical glaciers on the high Andean plateau is high. Of the numerous volcanic peaks, the crew was urged to shoot any with snow/ice close to nadir [with surrounding images to aid identification]), Lake Poopo, Bolivia (Lake Poopo tends to dry [decrease in size] during El Niño phases, out of phase with much increased rainfall in the Atacama Desert immediately west), Palmerston Island reef, Central Pacific (this island, needed for the global reef mapping project, may be visible a touch right of nadir between scattered cloud), and Anatahan Volcano plume (Dynamic event. A long plume of ash and steam stretches NW from this active volcano in the Northern Marianas Island chain. Recent imagery suggests the crew should be able to see a white plume looking half right at sunrise).

CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:

• http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/AstronautPhotography/

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:

• http://voyager.cet.edu/iss/

To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 11 crew visit:

• http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-11/ndxpage1.html at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 11 Flight Crew Plans can be found at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/timelines/

Previous NASA ISS On-orbit Status Reports can be found here. Previous NASA Space Station Status Reports can be found here. Previous NASA Space Shuttle Processing Status Reports can be found here. A collection of all of these reports and other materials relating to Return to Flight for the Space Shuttle fleet can be found here.

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 5:36am EDT [= epoch]):

• Mean altitude — 354.2 km
• Apogee height — 359.6 km
• Perigee height — 348.9 km
• Period — 91.62 min.
• Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg
• Eccentricity — 0.0007951
• Solar Beta Angle — 61.0 deg (magnitude increasing)
• Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.72
• Mean altitude loss in last 24 hours — 44 m
• Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 36816

Some Increment 11 Main Events:

• Progress M-52 (17P) undock — 6/16;
• Progress M-53 (18P) launch — 6/17;
• Progress M-53 (18P) undock — 8/23;
• Progress M-54 (19P) launch — 8/24;
• Soyuz TMA-7 (11S) launch — 9/27;
• Soyuz TMA-6 (10S) return — 10/7.

ISS Altitude History

Apogee height — Mean Altitude — Perigee height

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide ISS naked-eye visibility dates/times, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html. In addition, information on International Space Station sighting opportunities can be found at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ on NASA’s Human Spaceflight website. The current location of the International Space Station can be found at http://science.nasa.gov/temp/StationLoc.html at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Additional satellite tracking resources can be found at http://www.spaceref.com/iss/tracking.html.